NAMPA statement regarding JAMA study on bisphenol A

Sep 16 2008

As with any new research regarding potential health effects associated with bisphenol A (BPA), the North American Metal Packaging Alliance, Inc. (NAMPA) takes seriously the findings of this latest study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

We are concerned about any study designed to draw inferences to chronic disorders based on incidental exposure to BPA or any other compound. BPA is quickly and efficiently eliminated from the body through urine. To suggest that BPA concentrations measured at a single point in time during the process of elimination from the body correlate in any way directly with serious chronic disorders is entirely unsupported and an unsubstantiated scientific leap.

While this study raises interesting questions, it provides no scientifically defensible answers. As the authors themselves point out, further research is needed to determine whether the associations proposed in this study are valid. Until these fundamental issues are resolved, it is unwise to ignore more than 20 years of comprehensive and thoroughly validated BPA research that points to the safety of BPA as currently used in food and beverage packaging.

Within the past two months, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) both have reaffirmed the safety of BPA, based on their review of the full body of scientific research conducted according to long-established protocols for scientific analysis and risk assessment.

With regard to risk assessment, one fundamental reality has never changed – risk is never determined based on a single piece of research. Rather, the risk assessment process is premised on a body of knowledge derived from rigorous experimental design and recognized laboratory practices that meet established requirements for peer review and replicability. NAMPA expects the same rigor to be applied to this latest study before any conclusions may be drawn.